* ICYMI: Colleges scramble after court strikes down in-state tuition for Illinois undocumented students. Sun-Times…

- On July 24, a federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump struck down parts of three Illinois laws that allowed eligible undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at community colleges and public universities and to receive state financial aid.
- The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights estimates that 7,000 to 10,000 undocumented students “could lose vital educational support for the upcoming academic year as a direct result of this ruling,”
- Judge David Dugan of the Southern District of Illinois paused the implementation of the ruling for two weeks to allow state officials time to appeal, but it is unclear if they will do so.

* Gov. JB Pritzker has five public events at the State Fair today…

- 10:00 am: Gov. Pritzker will kick off the State fair with the ribbon cutting ceremony
- 10:45 am: The opening of tents ceremony
- 11:15 am: Conservation World ribbon cutting ceremony
- 11:30 am: Gov. Pritzker will present the “County Fair Person of the Year” Award
- 12:00 pm: Gov. Pritzker will take photos with the 2026 County Fair Queens

Click here to watch.

* Tribune | Illinois audit: State agency paid staffing firm $78.5M for contractors not actively working: The report released Tuesday from Illinois Auditor General Christopher Meister’s office found the Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security did not provide proof to auditors that it could determine how many contractors it needed or to verify that its contractors were billing the state accurately. The agency has been responsible for helping coordinate the state’s response to major emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the influx of migrants three years ago to the Chicago area. The $78.5 million in standby billing — a practice known as “standdown,” under which contractors are paid even when not actively working — came from Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a national employment agency based in Kansas that also helped Chicago respond to the migrant influx and contributed to the city’s multimillion-dollar costs for housing new arrivals.

* NBC Chicago | Hammond mayor says Chicago Bears are expected to ‘make announcement’ Thursday: The mayor of Hammond, Indiana, says the Chicago Bears have informed him they plan on making an announcement Thursday. Mayor Tom McDermott told NBC Chicago the Bears told him “there would be an announcement [Thursday],” but he was not informed on what exactly the announcement was about. The Bears have not yet publicly said any announcement is coming.

* More from CNI’s Brenden Moore…

* WGN | GOP candidate for Lt. Governor defends abortion comments: ‘I was expressing my personal feelings’: In an interview with WGN political editor Tahman Bradley, Del Mar defended the remarks, saying he was expressing his personal feelings. […] “Illinois has spoken. The legislature has spoken,” Del Mar said.

* WRAM | Kermit Thomas Outlines Platform in Bid for Illinois State Representative: Kermit Thomas is running for State Representative of Illinois’ 71st District on the Democratic ballot. Thomas, who resides in Moline, IL, explains his platform in running for office: “I want to do what I can on a state level in Springfield; affordability, affordable housing, gas prices, food, and education. It puts kids to have access to the education; I definitely want to work with that. I am not just talking about formal education of four years of college; I am talking about trade schools and things that kids can actually become a CNA or a welder before they even graduate high school. Then they can go straight to work and there won’t be a four-year gap in their income, they can go straight to work and become a productive citizen,” says Thomas.

* Illinois Times | State Board of Elections pays off-duty SPD officers to oversee records examinations: The Illinois State Board of Elections has been paying off-duty Springfield police officers to provide security for records examinations, including the validation of candidate petitions. […] Bernadette Matthews, who has served as executive director of ISBE since 2022, informed Illinois Times the state agency has been utilizing some means of police security for at least a decade. In the past, it was mostly officers from Illinois State Police and the Department of Homeland Security, but the state agency began contracting with SPD in 2025. Matthews said DHS stopped offering support after the 2024 election cycle.

* Obituary: Donald E. Arnell: Don’s commitment to public service was evident throughout his career. In 1961, he was elected Bloom Township Justice of the Peace and served as Circuit Court Magistrate from 1961 to 1965. He was elected twice as Bloom Township Supervisor in 1965 and 1969, serving with distinction during a period of growth and change in the community. In 1972 and again in 1974, he was elected Illinois State Representative for the 10th District where he worked diligently on behalf of his constituents and the State of Illinois.

* Sun-Times | Bally’s is using video gambling battle to slow construction at casino site, alderpersons say: The letter demands that Johnson enforce the agreement and ensure that Bally’s “delivers the complete project it committed to build.” If Johnson refuses, the City Council majority says it will do it for him — by summoning Bally’s executives to a public hearing and perhaps filing a lawsuit against the gambling giant.

* Sun-Times | CTA deploying violence interrupters, mental health clinicians on trains this fall: The Chicago Transit Authority board on Wednesday approved a $10 million, yearlong Crisis Intervention Safe Ride Specialist Pilot program designed to complement the recent boost in security and police on trains and buses. The specialists, drawn from contracts with four local groups, will don colorful vests while they provide mental, behavioral and drug-use treatment services to those who need it, Nora Leerhsen, the CTA’s acting president, told the board.

* Tribune | SEIU puts $1.1 million into school board race effort as feud with CTU escalates: While CTU supported the plan, SEIU has called it a “gamble” that is “dependent on state funding that does not exist.” Then, the dispute spiraled into an online spat this week between Driver and Potter, the CTU vice president. When Driver posted on Facebook condemning the spending plan, Potter commented, “Not sure what your interest is in school finance suddenly.” He questioned why the district shouldn’t budget on unpromised state funding while assuming tax increment financing dollars, which rely on City Hall.

* Sun-Times | Potential class-action lawsuit filed against South Deering funeral home for mishandling 56 bodies: Criminal charges haven’t been filed. Illinois State Police are still investigating the Chicago Heights situation while Chicago police sort through the latest ordeal. The Cook County medical examiner’s office is still working to identify all the deceased as well as the cremated remains of at least 56 more people. South Chicago Chapel “failed to properly affix identifying information to the bodies in its possession, including that of Mr. Fallie, despite knowing the same would be necessary in properly identifying the bodies,” the new suit claims.

* Crain’s | Ford to shift Lincoln production from China, potentially boosting Chicago plant: In a press release announcing the shift, Ford noted that Lincoln currently assembles the Navigator in Louisville, Ky., and the Aviator at the company’s Chicago Assembly Plant on the Far South Side. “This expansion builds on that existing U.S. manufacturing base and Ford’s commitment to American manufacturing,” the company said. “The company expects the increased production to generate thousands of direct and indirect U.S. jobs.”

* Daily Herald | Lisle data center faces renewed scrutiny over diesel generators and ongoing construction: Neighboring residents raised questions last week after noticing several diesel generators running at the CSquare facility. In an email Monday, a CSquare executive said the company currently is operating one diesel generator, which the company says is allowed by the village under a temporary permit. The facility, which has been in operation since the 1970s, also has nine permanent back-up generators, which are permitted and have been on site for some time. Additionally, CSquare is working with the village on permitting for four other temporary generators on site and needed to power critical workloads.

* Daily Herald | Lake County forest preserves to spend $30 million to buy more land: The general obligation bond issue will be the second batch of $155 million authorized by voters in late 2024 for land acquisition, development and restoration. The forest district board plans to spend $65 million of it for land preservation and acquisition, and $90 million for habitat restoration and public access improvements. A bond issue last year generated about $25 million in proceeds, with $10 million allocated for development and $15 million for land acquisition.

* Daily Herald | With an assist from AI, Donald E. Stephens comes back to life in new Rosemont museum: The robotic mayor — seated at what was his real wooden desk kept in storage all these years — tells the story of the area’s transformation from septic fields and pungent odors before its 1956 incorporation, into an economic engine with a convention center and sports arena that grew alongside O’Hare International Airport. “They called me a dreamer, and to a degree, I am a dreamer,” says the android, speaking from a 4-minute prerecorded script, but with all the right inflection, cadence and tone. “You have to be, to do what I do. And if it’s better than when I got here, then I did what I needed to do. From the boy mayor to the old man, I’m glad I got to grow with Rosemont.”

* Capitol News Illinois | 2026 butter cow: ‘Miles of Smiles’ is State Fair’s theme in celebration of Route 66: The butter cow will remain on display in the Dairy Building throughout the fair, which opens at 7 a.m. Thursday, with the annual Twilight Parade scheduled for 5:30 p.m. that day. The fair runs through Aug. 23 from 7 a.m. until midnight each day. The sculpture is made of 800 pounds of unsalted butter spread across a wire frame. As was the case in previous years, much of the butter is “recycled,” meaning it is reused each year, rather than discarded. It was sculpted once again by Iowan Sarah Pratt.

* Capitol City Now | Even the butter cow has the spirit of 66: For the tenth year in a row, the butter cow sculptor is Sarah Pratt of West Des Moines, IA. “As I explored the history of Route 66, I was drawn to the many iconic ice cream stops that became part of the journey for generations of travelers. That made ice cream a natural feature of this year’s sculpture,” Pratt said in a news release. “We hope fairgoers enjoy the whimsy of the display, share memories of their own Route 66 adventures, and remember the important role dairy has played in so many of those journeys.”

* WCIA | Urbana School District Superintendent announces retirement after 2026-27 year: The Superintendent of the Urbana School District announced that this school year will be her last after over three decades in education. On Wednesday, Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Ivory-Tatum said she will retire at the end of the 2026-2027 school year. This will mark the end of nearly two decades of service as a leader and administrator in Urbana, and 34 years in education overall.

* Smithsonian Magazine | An 11-Year-Old Boy in a Small Midwestern Town Just Became the Guinness World Record Holder for Being the Youngest Museum Curator: Anderson Taylor, now 11, was recently awarded the Guinness World Record for being the youngest male curator of a museum, the first to ever hold the title. He opened the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Cambridge, Illinois, on August 10, 2024, when he was just 9 years and 340 days old. […] Throughout his childhood, he collected more fossils. Some were from the Cambridge area, and some from his family trip to Scotland, where he found inspiration in a small museum not unlike his own. At his school, he and his friends often dig through a limestone gravel playground to find treasures.